Project FearleSS Color Sanding and Polishing - Diamond In The Buff

Color sanding to a mirror finish.

In this issue, we took a trip over to visit our friends at Meguiar's, who have been in the automotive finish industry since 1901. Most consumers know their products very well, but given the success of their general market products, I bet you don't know that the company has a whole industrial body shop line of products that are just as amazing.

We showed up with our freshly painted project FearleSS that already sports an Axalta two-stage paintjob. The car had been sprayed a month earlier and was now ready to be color sanded and polished. When it comes time for this process of color sanding and polishing, it can take even longer than the actual painting session, and is quite the art form, as some of you probably know. Most rub outs take the same dedication and attention to detail as when spraying the car, and if the polishing isn't done right—the car finish will be ruined. Today's rub outs can vary from $250 all the way to $4,000 because of the man-hours involved to polish the paint and the risk involved when sanding on a paintjob. At the end of the day, the process was best summed up by a Meguiars team member who told us, "you get what you pay for; cheap ain't good, and good ain't cheap!”

Meguiar's has a vast selection of products that they have developed over the years and today we are going to put their products to a test on our Project FearleSS.

1. The Meguiar's team consisted of only the best in the field.

2. We arrived at the Meguiar's training center and project FearleSS was ready to be worked on.

2. We arrived at the Meguiar's training center and project FearleSS was ready to be worked on.

3. The first thing on our agenda was to check the thickness of the paint by using a paint gauge. This will help gauge the amount of sanding that can be done to keep the car from burning.

3. The first thing on our agenda was to check the thickness of the paint by using a paint gauge. This will help gauge the amount of sanding that can be done to keep the car from burning.

4. The car was sanded, starting with 1500 -grit sandpaper.

5. In old-school technologies, this would have been in a "no-no," but with today's paints, modern technology, and DA skills, it will help cut down your time.

5. In old-school technologies, this would have been in a "no-no," but with today's paints, modern technology, and DA skills, it will help cut down your time.

6. Using a bottle of water, this wet dry sandpaper was doing its job.

7. The sanding process is done in sections and steps. Once the car was completely sanded in 1500-grit, it was followed up by using 2000-grit, and finished up in 3000-grit.

7. The sanding process is done in sections and steps. Once the car was completely sanded in 1500-grit, it was followed up by using 2000-grit, and finished up in 3000-grit.

8. There are sections of the car that will have to be done by hand, as Mike is showing us.

8. There are sections of the car that will have to be done by hand, as Mike is showing us.

9. With a full team to sand this car, the 96 hours of sanding got knocked out in one day.

9. With a full team to sand this car, the 96 hours of sanding got knocked out in one day.

10. The whole car was polished out in sections to assure a good finish.

11. As you can see, the finish is looking like a mirror and the paint has only been polished using compound. Once the car is completely polished, it will be glazed and waxed.

11. As you can see, the finish is looking like a mirror and the paint has only been polished using compound. Once the car is completely polished, it will be glazed and waxed.

12 & 13. After 144 man-hours from the Meguair's team, this Impala shined like a diamond when the right light hit it!

12 & 13. After 144 man-hours from the Meguair's team, this Impala shined like a diamond when the right light hit it!